Nightmare in Elmore
by Captain Stitch
Summary: Reaching the top of the stairs, she rushed towards Gumball and Darwin's room where the sound had lingered. She knew it all too well; it was the sound of fear, and apparently she'd been hearing it a lot lately.
**Disclaimer: I do not own anything from TAWOG.**

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Nicole slumped down on the living room couch after another long, hard day at the Rainbow Factory.

Being crammed into a work space while sitting in a back breaking chair for hours on end while answering calls from the citizens of the city wasn't as fun as the older, blue feline had thought it would be when she first started working there.

There was nothing fun about people calling in to complain about something.

Her lazy husband Richard was flicking through the channels on the television like he usually did, while scarfing down a scrumptious foot long sub, he was too caught up in the program he finally came across to notice his exhausted wife sitting across from him.

After the adoption of Darwin, followed by the birth of their final child Anais, Nicole had to work even harder and longer hours to help the family out- Richard getting a job would spell the end of the world for the whole city; which is just what his wife had feared once he received the job as a pizza delivery guy.

She was the breadwinner of the household who kept everything under control, and was also the one who mostly fixes problems within the family.

And of course with three rambunctious children to care for, a lazy husband, and her full time job at the factory, she could feel all the pressure overwhelm her.

As the tv flashed to an advertisement the adult rabbit finally turned his attention to his soulmate with a grin on his chubby face, but after seeing just how worn out the older parent looked it was immediately replaced with a frown.

"Are you feeling okay, honey?"

Mrs. Watterson narrowed her blood shot eyes at the daffy, pink rabbit. "My back is killing me, you try sitting inside an office all day listening to other people's rants. You wouldn't like it, now would you?" She countered.

Mr. Watterson put up his paws defensively. "Uh, no thanks. I rather sit here and watch television."

Removing his pillow from his side of the sofa, he placed it behind his tired wife's now aching head, then threw a warm blanket over her body.

"There, feeling better now?"

She slowly nodded in response, letting her head fall back on the pillow, and pulling the blanket tighter towards her before letting out a sleepy yawn, ready for a little snooze.

Richard smiled at her before allowing his eyes to be glued back to the screen that sat in front of him. Grabbing the remote, he turned the volume down a little bit so he wouldn't disturb the now sleeping cat across from him.

When it came to a hard day of work Nicole was out like a light, but she still remained on high alert just in case something were to go horribly wrong.

Continuing with the show he had been so caught up in, he picked up his can of soda satisfying his tastebuds.

Glancing back over at his wife to make sure she was comfortable, he smiled again at her peaceful form.

 _She looks like an angel when she sleeps._ He thought dreamily as he gently placed the blanket back over her body; for it had slipped off. He leaned over, and placed a kiss on her forehead.

Flicking over the current channel with the remote, he sat back, and sighed peacefully just before a sudden scream cut through the dark room, causing Richard to drop the remote control he had in his grip, and Nicole to awake with a jolt. Both parents were completely startled by the rather unpleasant sound that echoed through their ears.

With her motherly instincts kicking in Nicole threw the blanket off herself, wiping away the saliva that was dangling from her mouth with a paw, and darted up the stairs to see what all the ruckus was about.

Answering her families desperate cry for help was like her super power even though she knew she was no super hero.

Reaching the top of the stairs, she rushed towards Gumball and Darwin's room where the sound had lingered. She knew it all too well; it was the sound of fear, and apparently she'd been hearing it a lot lately.

Making a sharp turn around the corner once she got to the top she ran into a shadowy figure in the hallway, knocking both of them off their feet.

"Darwin, what's going on? That's the fifth time this week!" Nicole scowled while eyeing the little goldfish who sat on the floor across from her, rubbing at his own head.

The youngest of the two boys looked up to see his adopted mother now standing in front of him, both paws placed on her hips.

"Mrs. Mom, are you okay? You look awfully tired." The ten year old inquired, noticing the bags underneath the adults eyes that was due to lack of sleep.

"I've been working nonstop all week, and didn't get much sleep." Nicole responded through a sudden yawn that escaped her.

"Are you sure it's not because you're worried about Gumball? You know, because you're a meddler?" Darwin finished nervously tapping his fins together, already feeling his mother's rage burning right through him.

Instead of getting all worked up over the word that had just slipped from her son's mouth the feline sighed in defeat. As much as she didn't accept hearing that word it seemed to describe her perfectly at the moment.

"I'm really worried about him, he won't tell me what's going on. I was only trying to help, but he just pushes it away. You're the one he has conversations with most of the time, did he tell you anything?"

"All I know is that it has something to do with Zach. I think he's haunting his dreams, even though we defeated him by changing Gumball's name at the town hall." The former pet explained after searching his brain for the answer.

Escorting his adopted mother to their bedroom Darwin sat down beside her as she gently shook Gumball's right shoulder while calling his name.

"Gumball, wake up."

After a few more minutes of suffering, Gumball finally awoken with a scream, and began panting rather heavily.

"Gumball, it's okay. It's just us, you were just dreaming." Darwin told him to prevent him from freaking out any further, possibly waking everyone on their block, and also to keep their mother's aching head from splitting in half.

"Calm down, and tell us what happened." Nicole replied, gently placing a paw on her son's shoulder, speaking in a softer tone then she usually spoke in when communicating with those around her.

Gumball gazed up at his little brother, and mother while shivering from fear before finally spilling out his words.

"It was Z-Zach, he was embarrassing me in front of Penny. Every one at school started laughing at me."

Nicole stared at her other son who was now sitting on the other side of the bed. "Darwin, you can go back to bed now. I'll take care of it from here."

He nodded before heading back over towards his fish bowl, climbing inside it to let his mother take over.

"Listen, honey, Zach can't hurt you anymore, physically or emotionally. Therefore you have nothing to worry about." The mother replied, softly ruffling at his soft blue fur.

"How can you be so sure, and how do I stop him from invading my dreams?"

Nicole smiled sweetly before giving him a kiss on his forehead to make him feel better. "A mother always know best, and you'll cross that bridge when you get to it."

"Yeah, and you're nothing like Zach you care about those you love, and you make an awesome big brother." Darwin chimed while standing up from inside his fish bowl.

"You were the one who kept me from giving up on my quest back to you guys. Even when I though all was lost, you gave me hope."

"Darwin's right, and as long as you got us you have nothing to be afraid of. Zach is just a bully, don't let him haunt your mind. You stand up towards him and show that jerk who's boss." His mother encouraged, slamming her fist into her paw demonstrating what he had to do.

"You're right mom, thanks for the pep talk. It really means a lot." Gumball smiled as he wrapped his arms around his loving guardian, listening to her heart beating as he nuzzled into her chest.

"I love you guys."

Nicole smiled, returning the hug as Darwin joined in after jumping out of his bowl.

"We love you too, Gummy puss."

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 _Gumball walked down the hallway of Elmore Junior High. His best friend and adopted brother Darwin was at his side, helping him prepare himself for a date with his girlfriend Penny._

 _"So, how do I look?" the little blue kitten asked nervously while tightening the bow tie that was fastened around his neck._

 _"Perfect." was the young gold fish's response before placing a bouquet of blue roses in his hands with a smile on his little chubby face._

 _"Remember, just be yourself. Penny loves you for who you are."_

 _"Sure she does, loser." Came another voice that sounded awfully familiar. Turning around they locked eyes with the one person they both despised._

 _"What the what?!" Gumball gawked as he and Darwin eyed the second blue cat in front of them._

 _"Leave me alone, Zach!. Hadn't you tortured me enough from our last battle?"_

 _"Or you'll do what? you're just a coward who can't even stand up for himself." The cooler but more selfish version of Gumball taunted with an raised eyebrow._

 _"That may be true, but Penny loves me for who I am. Coward or not!" His twin snarled, glaring daggers at his foe._

 _"Whatever, loser. Zach is always three steps ahead." Zach laughed evilly as the flowers Gumball held in his hands quickly fell apart, littering the floor before jumping on his enemy, tackling him to the ground as the other students and Darwin watched in horror._

 _"Gumball, let me help, you don't know what he'll do to you!" Darwin pleaded while watching the two felines wrestle with each other across the polished floor._

 _"No, this is my fight. In order to stop Zach I need to fight him off myself. I need to prove to him that I can stand up towards him." Gumball retorted, pinning Zach down as he spoke to his little brother._

 _Zach kicked at his counterpart, sending him flying into a nearby garbage can with a splat._

 _"What did I tell ya? Once a loser, always a loser." He mocked while raising an eyebrow at the yellow fairy, one paw resting on one of the students lockers to steady himself._

 _"Don't let him push you around, Gumball!" Penny encouraged him while taking her eyes off the jerk beside her._

 _"I believe in you!"_

 _Shaking the dizziness and trash off, the twelve year old growled before heroically leaping back onto the evil cat, and smacked him right into his own locker._

 _"I may not be able to get rid of you permanently, but I can lock you away." Gumball grinned spinning the keys around with his finger before sweeping Penny off her feet, kissing her on the lips causing all the students around him to cheer with glee._

 _A sea of cheers erupted from the other students as they hoisted Gumball up into the air, carrying him throughout the school._

 _"You did it, man. You stood up for yourself!" Darwin said cheerfully from below the crowd._

 _His brother smiled in return as he eyed his girlfriend once again._

 _"Yes I did, Darwin. Yes I did."_

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 _ **AN:** The ending is supposed to be a dream Gumball had after going back to sleep, Hope you liked this little story._


End file.
